Scene Change
by Eternal Nightshade
Summary: Puzzleshipping. A very small collection of scenes / drabbles, mostly pointless, that just really wanted some attention. Senseless fluff, character introspection, very brief violence / implied torture.


Hello again... I'm afraid this isn't actually a story I'm posting, just a few scenes that have been sitting on my hard-drive for a long time, just wasting away. Sorry, I've been insanely busy and I know they don't add up to much of anything, just four scenes from four different universes... but, well, enjoy?

**Disclaimer: If I owned Yuugiou, it wouldn't be considered a kid's show, mmkay? **

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**Eternal Lovers**:

It had only been a paltry three millennia or so—and really, what was a few thousand years to an immortal—but he could hardly remember his life as a normal human. It was much like some unlikely, faded dream, or a dream of a dream that he wasn't sure he ever had. Of course, he hadn't slept in a while, either. It wasn't like he needed to, after all.

Being ageless, free of natural illnesses, and nearly invincible to that which mortal men feared had benefits, of course. He had enjoyed traveling the world over at least a dozen times, and with each new era, there was more advancement and change to observe, new toys and games to pass the endless days, a few million more scrolls, books, and records to study, history being made, wars to interfere with, lives to affect at his whim, and so on…

But truthfully, though the ceaseless passage of time would not soon end his life, it was a becoming a wearying cycle. Like a dance that never ended, like a melody that played its few grand notes eternally. The three simple beats: Birth, growth, death.

Humble beginnings and small villages, to great civilizations, palaces, kings, peace and prosperity…then, all too quickly came jealousy, betrayal, war, plagues, famines, other tragic disasters, and finally oblivion…before it all began anew. Thus the world turned.

Even as technology advanced on and on, diseases were cured and people grew enough to understand how to avoid some tragedies, more were created to fill the void. Occasionally, in its feeble attempt to free themselves from one problem, mankind would create a dozen more. With technology came greed, gluttony, pollution, extinction, more war, and crimes of jealousy…

No, there was nothing new that he could see in the broad scheme of things. Yes, humans were convinced that they had grown more civil, and perhaps in some ways they had, but the ugly, dark nature of an evil heart found time and modernization a poor camouflage.

There was still death, still hate, still pain in every place he looked.

It came in many ways and forms, but it came, nonetheless.

It led one to despair at immortality.

But then, again, of the same token, on the other side, there was beauty in the midst of its ugliness. It was often rare, fleeting, and fragile, but he found it. Though no longer human, though he'd see such things a thousand times more than any mortal human, there was still beauty in the earth and sky. Art and literature and music could still catch his ear and eye for a moment's reprieve from the endless roar of time's tireless parade.

And there was even beauty in the beings he shared the world with. Yet that was more fragile than any other kind. Physical beauty was the worst of these, because it came and went, with ghastly fads and self-abusive behaviors and age…beauty of the mind and soul, though, that was even rarer. It intrigued him. But how easily polluted it was by the world's great stupidity.

He admitted, though not eagerly, that there were times when he had sought out such rare, luminous people. That once or twice, what remained of his heart became inclined towards these beings, out of the simplistic desire for someone who could share this life with him. A lover, perhaps.

It was not terribly common to actually succeed in such a venture, but immortals like him did try to find someone with whom they could spend their eternities. Humans tended to find thirty or forty years a very long time, though. Who in this world would be willing to offer him three millennia of companionship? Less than a third of his life. That was why it was almost logical that some vampires found several human lovers and simply enjoyed whatever time possible.

For those that actually invested real affection, care, and love in these frail creatures learned a very painful lesson. The difference in their life spans was too great a divide to live happily for more than a breath, a season, a passing moment.

The humans, like flowers, faded and withered away as their eternal mates tried to find solace in the short memories they left behind. Still, even for a few modest human years, maybe it would've been nice to know love again…in a bittersweet kind of way.

It was, however, only by complete accident that he broke from his latest separation between himself and the world of mortal men...

**Stupid Cupid**:

"Oh, Jou. There you are. Have you seen-"

"I PLEAD THE 19TH!"

"Huh?" Startled, Yami jerked backward, now wide-eyed over Jounouchi's sudden shout. When he processed the obviously panicked statement, he slowly arched an eyebrow, puzzled and skeptical. "You...you're pleading the 'right for women to vote'?" He sighed. "Hey, Katsuya...? Just what the HELL are you talking about?"

"Er..." Jounouchi twiddled his thumbs. "Anzu's been really gettin' to me with all of her feminism talk after history classes? And I thought you were her, sneaking up behind me to give me another lecture?" He feigned a wide, lopsided grin.

Yami's dead-pan expression made it obvious he noticed the inflection of a question, as in 'will-you-please-be-naive-enough-to-buy-this-excus e?', rather than the confident tone of a real statement that would've suggested Jou was telling the truth. "Uh-huh. In the interest of time conservation, I'm gonna let that one go."

**Beast Master**:

Out of instinct, before anyone else could act to protect the pharaoh, with one fluid movement, the cat boy stretched out his hand and swiped at the hansom tanned face before him. Everyone in the room gasped in horror when blood slowly began to ooze from three large cuts across Atemu's cheek.

It was death to strike a member of the royal family. This slave had just sealed his fate in the blood staining his own hand. Everyone in the room but the pharaoh and the cat boy held their breath. Each of them waited for the outrage, but Atemu didn't move, and neither did the terrified boy on the floor.

Was the pharaoh stunned? In shock from the sheer audacity of this creature?

One of the guards, finally shaken out of his awe, rushed to the slave to punish him. He placed a hand on his sword. "How dare you strike his high—"

The guard was physically stopped from hurting the boy by a tan, jewel adorned arm. He glanced up to see the pharaoh glaring at him, staring him down. His dark eyes flashed in warning. "I did not ask for your help."

"Y-yes, my pharaoh." The guard bowed and backed away fearfully.

Meanwhile, the slaver also seemed to have suddenly found his tongue again. "My lord, I-I beg your forgiveness, this boy…I did attempt to offer a warning, their kind… are difficult to tame. There is still a beast-like quality to this one yet, it seems. If you will allow it, I'll see to his discipline and sentencing."

There was a moment of silence before those dark eyes turned from the guard Atemu had just stared down, to the boy on the floor. His expression softened.

"He does not require punishment." Atemu replied smoothly, shifting his anger to the slave's former master. He saw it in the man's eyes just as he saw it in the boy's. There was no mistake. The creature didn't strike him because of a lack of respect for authority; it was self-defense. He had acted out of sheer panic.

There was pure terror in the boy's eyes, but not because he was in the midst of a pharaoh, simply because he was facing another human being. "Your abuse and mistreatment of this slave caused him to act, not disobedience. Because you've terrorized this boy, he's too scared to even realize what he's done to me, much less to be responsible for his actions. Therefore, it is your fault." He turned his head to glare at the slaver and made sure that, by the angle of his head, the man could clearly see the wound on his face. "You are responsible for this."

He grew a sickly looking pale color. It suited him, Atemu decided with dry amusement. "I accept your…"gift" and grant you mercy this once, but if you ever do this to another slave again, causing them such trauma that they would attack their king, you will deal with me. And the consequences will be very severe."

**Tenderness**:

"Yami?"

"Yes, partner?"

"Do you love me?"

"You know I love you…"

"Want me?"

"Of course."

"Need me?"

"Always."

"Adore me?"

"So much."

"Never leave me?"

"Never."

"...Promise?"

"I promise."

"Yami?"

"Yes, my beloved?"

"...Me too."

A soft chuckle from the older male's lips. A gentle kiss pressed on the younger's brow, before the two curled up together and drifted off to sleep.

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Yeah, that's it for now. I'm still working on some actual stories, I just... felt like posting something, I suppose, and I hoped you guys would get at least a little amusement out of them. (And if you do, _please review_? A little confidence boost is always appreciated, especially these days.)


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